Bucks make decision on new head coach
May 13, 2022; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) shoots during warmups prior to game six of the second round for the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The Milwaukee Bucks are making a somewhat unexpected decision regarding their new head coach.
The Bucks are poised to hire Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin as coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The two sides are progressing toward an agreement.
ESPN Sources: The Milwaukee Bucks are planning to hire Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin as the franchise’s next head coach. Sides are progressing on terms of an agreement. pic.twitter.com/Kz1iydRKsF
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 27, 2023
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported earlier Saturday that the Bucks had decided between Griffin and Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson after former Raptors coach Nick Nurse withdrew himself from consideration.
Sources: After Nick Nurse pulled out of the process, the Milwaukee Bucks are deciding between Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin and Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson for the franchise’s next head coach. Griffin is gaining traction in the process.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 27, 2023
Nurse might have been the popular candidate, but his decision to withdraw may suggest he prefers one of the openings in Phoenix or Philadelphia.
Griffin has ties to Milwaukee, having spent time with the franchise as an assistant between 2008 and 2010. While it is somewhat surprising to see the Bucks go with a first-time head coach, Griffin has been linked to top jobs for years and few will doubt that he has paid his dues around the league. He has been the lead assistant for Orlando and Oklahoma City before moving to Toronto, where he was Nurse’s top assistant in the title-winning 2019 season.
The Bucks are coming off a season that saw them finish first in the East, but a first-round exit at the hands of the Miami Heat cost coach Mike Budenholzer his job.